Grand Hotel (TV series) explained

Developer:	Brian Tanen
Composer:	Jeff Beal
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	1
Num Episodes:	13
Runtime:	42–43 minutes
Network:	ABC
Related:	El hotel de los secretos

Grand Hotel is an American mystery drama television series developed by Brian Tanen, based on the Spanish TV series Gran Hotel created by Ramón Campos and Gema R. Neira. The series premiered on June 17, 2019, on ABC, and stars Demián Bichir, Roselyn Sanchez, Denyse Tontz, Bryan Craig, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Lincoln Younes, Anne Winters, Feliz Ramirez, and Justina Adorno. Grand Hotel is executive produced by Ramón Campos, Teresa Fernández-Valdés, Bob Daily, Bill D'Elia, Eva Longoria Bastón, Ben Spector, and Tanen. Longoria Bastón also appears on the series in a recurring role. Grand Hotel was canceled in October 2019 after one season.

Premise

Set at the Riviera Grand Hotel, the last family-owned hotel in Miami Beach, Grand Hotel follows owner Santiago Mendoza, his glamorous second wife, Gigi, and their adult children, as well as the Riviera's staff.^[1]

Cast and characters

Main

• Demián Bichir as Santiago Mendoza, the patriarch of the Mendoza family and owner of the Riviera Grand Hotel, which he inherited from his late wife Beatriz. He is Javi, Alicia and Jason’s father and Carolina and Yoli's stepfather.
• Roselyn Sanchez as Gigi Mendoza, Santiago's second wife who was also Beatriz's best friend. She is Carolina and Yoli's mother and Javi, Alicia and Jason’s stepmother.
• Denyse Tontz as Alicia Mendoza, Santiago's daughter who recently graduated with an MBA from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and steps in to help her father manage the ailing hotel
• Bryan Craig as Javi Mendoza, Santiago's disabled playboy son who wants to take on more responsibility
• Wendy Raquel Robinson as Helen "Mrs. P" Parker, the head of staff at the Riviera
• Lincoln Younes as Danny, a recently hired waiter at the Riviera who is investigating the disappearance of his sister Sky, who worked at the hotel
• Shalim Ortiz as Mateo, the hotel manager and Santiago's right-hand man who secretly works for the hotel's creditors
• Anne Winters as Ingrid, a pregnant housekeeper at the Riviera
• Chris Warren as Jason Parker, Mrs. P's son who is later revealed to be Santiago’s biological son. He also works at the Riviera as a waiter
• Feliz Ramirez as Carolina, Gigi's self-obsessed daughter and Yoli's fraternal twin sister
• Justina Adorno as Yoli, Gigi's queer daughter and Carolina's fraternal twin

Recurring

• Arielle Kebbel as Sky Garibaldi, a line chef at the Riviera Grand Hotel who mysteriously disappeared during a hurricane; it is implied she knows something unpleasant about Santiago's past. Sky was also Yoli's secret girlfriend prior to her disappearance.
• Jencarlos Canela as El Rey, the self-proclaimed "King of Miami" and a famous rapper hired by Alicia to help attract new business to the hotel
• John Marshall Jones as Malcolm Parker, Mrs. P's husband and Jason's adoptive father who is also the head of maintenance and facilities at the Riviera; he is diagnosed with lung cancer, following a collapse
• Matt Shively as Nelson, a concierge at the hotel who tries to blackmail Mateo over Sky's disappearance, and winds up getting hit by a truck. Mateo then kills him at the hospital to cover up his secret.
• Sabrina Texidor as Marisa, a masseuse at the Riviera who begins to have a secret romantic relationship with Yoli
• Elizabeth McLaughlin as Heather Davis, Danny's longtime girlfriend back home
• Stefanie Sherk as Dr. Sonja Grant, the hotel doctor at Riviera Grand Hotel
• Adrian Pasdar as Felix, Gigi's ex-husband and Carolina's and Yoli's father, who is currently in hiding after scamming countless investors, including Santiago, out of their life savings
• Christina Vidal as Detective Ayala, a detective in Skye’s disappearance who shows up to help Danny

Guest

• Ken Kirby as Byron, Carolina's fiancé and son of the Chinese family slated to buy the hotel; the sale and the wedding falls through after Byron learns that Carolina cheated on him with El Rey ("Pilot", "Art of Darkness", "Dear Santiago")
• Eva Longoria Bastón as Beatriz Mendoza, Santiago's late wife and Alicia and Javi's mother, whose family has owned the Riviera Grand Hotel for generations ("Curveball", "Art of Darkness", "Dear Santiago")
• Richard Burgi as Michael Finn, the arrogant owner of the Finn Hotel Group and Santiago's primary competitor ("Love Thy Neighbor", "Where the Sun Don't Shine")
• Freddie Stroma as Oliver, a former classmate of Alicia's who works for Finn as a hotel manager ("Love Thy Neighbor", "Where the Sun Don't Shine")
• Katey Sagal as Teresa Williams, the boss of the crime syndicate to which Santiago owes money ("Groom Service", "Suite Little Lies", "Art of Darkness")
• Cassie Scerbo as Vanessa, a professional cheerleader with whom Jason becomes romantically involved ("Suite Little Lies", "Art of Darkness", "A Perfect Storm")
• Jessalyn Gilsig as Roxanne, Ingrid’s mom who hooked up with Javi (“A Perfect Storm”)

Production

Development

On November 21, 2017, it was announced that ABC was developing an American adaptation of the Spanish TV series Gran Hotel. The pilot script for Grand Hotel was set to be written by Brian Tanen who was also set as an executive producer alongside Eva Longoria, Ben Spector, Oliver Bachert, and Christian Gockel. Production companies involved with the pilot include ABC Studios and UnbeliEVAble Entertainment.^[2] On February 2, 2018, it was announced that ABC had given the production a pilot order.^[3] On February 23, 2018, it was reported that Ken Olin would direct the pilot episode.^[4]

On May 11, 2018, it was announced that ABC had given the production a series order. Additionally, it was reported that Ramón Campos and Teresa Fernández-Valdés, producers of the original Spanish series, were joining the series as executive producers.^[1] A few days later, it was announced that the series would premiere in the spring of 2019 as a mid-season replacement.^[5] On December 12, 2018, it was announced that the series would be held back from mid-season and instead debut during the summer season with a premiere date of June 17, 2019. It was scheduled to air weekly on Mondays during the 10 PM time slot.^[6]

On October 1, 2019, Grand Hotel was canceled after one season.^[7]

Casting

In February 2018, it was announced that Roselyn Sanchez and Chris Warren had joined the pilot's main cast.^{[4] [8]} In March 2018, it was reported that Demián Bichir, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Shalim Ortiz, Denyse Tontz, Anne Winters, Bryan Craig, Lincoln Younes, Feliz Ramirez, and Justina Adorno had been cast in the pilot's additional main roles.^{[9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]} In September 2018, it was announced that Eva Longoria had been cast in a guest starring role and that Jencarlos Canela would appear in a recurring capacity.^{[16] [17]} On November 15, 2018, it was reported that John Marshall Jones, Richard Burgi, and Adrian Pasdar had been cast in recurring roles.^[18] In December 2018, it was announced that Katey Sagal, Freddie Stroma, and Ken Kirby had joined the cast in a recurring capacity.^{[19] [20]} Arielle Kebbel appeared in the series as Sky.^[21]

Filming

Principal photography for the pilot took place over the course of three weeks in March 2018 at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.^[22] After the pilot was filmed in Miami Beach and ABC picked up a full order of episodes, the cast and crew headed to Los Angeles, California, where a mini-replica of the Fontainebleau was constructed. The exterior shots shown throughout the season are still the real Fontainebleau.^[23]

Release

On May 15, 2018, the first official trailer for the series was released.^[24] On December 20, 2018, a "first look" still image from the series was released.^[25]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregation Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 74% with an average rating of 7.01/10, based on 19 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Grand Hotel is a vivacious summer soap, gathering a glamorous ensemble of Latina talent and letting them bounce off each other in delightfully sordid turns of betrayal."^[26] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[27]

Ratings

Notes and References

1. Web site: Holloway . Daniel . ABC Orders Dramas Grand Hotel, Whiskey Cavalier, The Fix to Series . . May 11, 2018 . May 11, 2018.
2. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . Eva Longoria Producing 'Grand Hotel' Soapy Drama Based On Spanish Format In Works At ABC . Deadline Hollywood. May 11, 2018. November 21, 2017.
3. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . Eva Longoria-Produced Drama 'Grand Hotel' & Comedy 'Three Rivers' Southern Hospitality Get ABC Pilot Orders . Deadline Hollywood . May 11, 2018 . February 2, 2018.
4. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . 'Grand Hotel': Roselyn Sanchez To Star In ABC Drama Pilot, Ken Olin To Direct . Deadline Hollywood . May 11, 2018 . February 23, 2018.
5. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . ABC Fall 2018-19 Schedule: Alec Baldwin Talk Show Part Of All-Unscripted Sunday, Friday Comedy Block Returns . Deadline Hollywood . May 15, 2018 . May 15, 2018.
6. Web site: Nakamura . Reid . ABC Midseason Premiere Dates: No Spring DWTS, Eva Longoria's Grand Hotel Held Until Summer . . December 12, 2018 . December 12, 2018.
7. Web site: Grand Hotel Canceled By ABC After One Season. Nellie. Andreeva. Deadline Hollywood. October 1, 2019. October 1, 2019.
8. Web site: Petski . Denise . Chris Warren Books 'Grand Hotel'; Alexander Sokovikov Joins 'Staties' . Deadline Hollywood . May 11, 2018 . February 28, 2018.
9. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . Demian Bichir To Star In 'Grand Hotel' ABC Drama Pilot . Deadline Hollywood . May 11, 2018 . March 3, 2018.
10. Web site: Petski. Denise. 'Grand Hotel' Books Wendy Raquel Robinson & Shalim Ortiz; Sawyer Barth Joins Tim Doyle Comedy Pilot. Deadline Hollywood. May 11, 2018. March 5, 2018.
11. Web site: Petski. Denise. 'Grand Hotel': Denyse Tontz To Star In ABC Drama Pilot. Deadline Hollywood. May 11, 2018 . March 7, 2018.
12. Web site: Petski . Denise . 'Grand Hotel': Anne Winters & Bryan Craig Cast In ABC Drama Pilot . Deadline Hollywood . May 11, 2018 . March 7, 2018.
13. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . Kelli Garner Joins NBC Pilot 'The Enemy Within', Lincoln Younes Cast In ABC's 'Grand Hotel' . Deadline Hollywood . May 11, 2018 . March 10, 2018.
14. Web site: Petski . Denise . Lizzy Greene Joins ABC's 'A Million Little Things'; Feliz Ramirez In 'Grand Hotel' . Deadline Hollywood . May 11, 2018 . March 16, 2018.
15. Web site: Petski . Denise . Karimah Westbrook Joins CW's April Blair/Spencer Paysinger Pilot; Justina Adorno Books ABC's 'Grand Hotel' . Deadline Hollywood . May 12, 2018 . March 19, 2018.
16. Highfill . Samantha . Eva Longoria to guest-star on ABC's 'Grand Hotel' . Entertainment Weekly . September 18, 2018 . September 10, 2018.
17. Web site: Petski . Denise . 'Grand Hotel': Jencarlos Canela Books Recurring Role On ABC Drama . Deadline Hollywood . September 18, 2018 . September 14, 2018.
18. Web site: Petski . Denise . 'Grand Hotel': John Marshall Jones, Richard Burgi & Adrian Pasdar Join ABC Drama Series . Deadline Hollywood . November 16, 2018 . November 16, 2018.
19. Web site: Petski . Denise . 'Grand Hotel': Katey Sagal & Freddie Stroma To Recur On ABC Drama Series . Deadline Hollywood . December 6, 2018 . December 5, 2018.
20. Web site: Petski . Denise . 'Whiskey Cavalier' Casts Dylan Walsh; Ken Kirby Books 'Grand Hotel' . Deadline Hollywood . December 20, 2018 . December 18, 2018.
21. Web site: . 5 Reasons Why 'Grand Hotel' Is Your New Summer Obsession . Bustle . June 12, 2019 . June 16, 2019.
22. Web site: Diaz . Johnny . Eva Longoria dishes about ABC pilot 'Grand Hotel' filmed at Fontainebleau Miami Beach . . August 22, 2018 . April 5, 2018.
23. Web site: Diaz . Johnny . Eva Longoria's new 'Grand Hotel' TV drama stars Fontainebleau Miami Beach and a South Florida cast . . September 25, 2019 . June 13, 2019.
24. Web site: Petski . Denise . ABC New Series Trailers: 'The Rookie', 'The Fix', The Kids Are Alright', 'Single Parents', More . Deadline Hollywood . May 15, 2018 . May 15, 2018.
25. Highfill . Samantha . Exclusive: See a first look at Eva Longoria's soapy drama Grand Hotel . Entertainment Weekly . December 20, 2018 . December 20, 2018.
26. Web site: Grand Hotel: Season 1 (2019). Rotten Tomatoes. September 9, 2019.
27. Web site: Grand Hotel (2019). Metacritic. June 17, 2019.